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Official inventories

Gazetteers of historic buildings and sites by official bodies in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The publication of inventories by county and city of England, Scotland and Wales has now stopped. Those for the Republic of Ireland are continuing.

The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (Ireland)

The NIAH is a section within the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Data from its county surveys is also being made available online at Buildings of Ireland.

• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Carlow (2002).
• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Kerry (2002).
• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Laois (2002).
• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of Fingal (2002).
• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of South Dublin County (2002).
• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Kildare (2003).
• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Meath (2003).
• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Waterford (2004).
• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Leitrim (2004).
• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Wicklow (2004).
• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Roscommon (2005).
• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Offaly (2006).
• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Kilkenny (2006).
• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of North Tipperary (2007).
• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Roscommon (2007).
• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Westmeath (2007).

The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England

Established in 1908 as The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of England, it shortened its title to the one above and then merged with English Heritage in April 1999. The original architectural survey notes, sketches and photographs taken by RCHME investigators working on the published inventories are stored in the National Monuments Record (NMR), together with the results of new surveys.

• An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Hertfordshire (1910).
• An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Buckinghamshire, 2 vols. (1912-3).
  1. South.
  2. North.
• An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Essex, 4 vols. (1916-23).
  1. North-west.
  2. Central and south-west.
  3. North-east.
  4. South-east and county heraldry before 1550.
• An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in London, 5 vols (1924-30).
  1. Westminster Abbey.
  2. West London excluding Westminster Abbey.
  3. Roman London.
  4. The city.
  5. East London.
• An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Huntingdonshire (1926).
• An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Herefordshire, 3 vols. (1931-4).
  1. South-west.
  2. East.
  3. North-west.
• An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Westmorland (1936).
• An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Middlesex (1937).
• An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the City of Oxford (1939).
• An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset, 5 vols. in 8 (1952-76).
  1. West (1952).
  2. pts.i-iii: South-east (1970).
  3. pts. i-ii: Central Dorset (1970).
  4. North Dorset (1972).
  5. East Dorset (1976). This is the first inventory compiled by the Commission which includes monuments of the 18th century and first half of the 19th century.
• An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the City of Cambridge, 1 vol. in 2, and a case of maps (1959).
• An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the City of York (1962- ).
  1. Eburacum: Roman York (1962).
  2. The defences (1972).
  3. South-west of the Ouse (1972).
  4. Outside the city walls east of the Ouse (1975).
  5. The central area (1981).
• An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the County of Cambridge, (1968- ).
  1. West Cambridgeshire (1968).
  2. North-east Cambridgeshire (1972).
• An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the County of Northampton, (1975-86).
  1. Archaeological sites in north-east Northamptonshire (1975).
  2. Archaeological sites in central Northamptonshire (1979).
  3. Archaeological sites in north-west Northamptonshire (1981)
  4. South-west (1982).
  5. Archaeological sites and churches in Northampton (1985).
  6. Architectural monuments in North Northamptonshire (1986).
• An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the County of Gloucester (1977- ). 1: Iron Age and Romano-British monuments in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds (1977).
• An Inventory of the Historical Monuments [in] the town of Stamford (1977).
• Ancient and Historical Monuments in the City of Salisbury (1980-1993).
  1. Covers the area of the former municipal borough, exclusive of the cathedral close and its walls and gates. Includes Old Sarum castle and cathedral (1980).
  2. The houses of the close (1993).

For RCHME inventories of nonconformist chapels see Chapels. For RCHME surveys of textile mills see Factories.

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Scotland

Established in 1908 as The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. The results from new architecture survey are available through the National Monuments Record of Scotland (NMRS).

• First Report and Inventory of Monuments and Constructions in the County of Berwick (1909).
• Second Report and Inventory of Monuments and Constructions in the County of Sutherland (1911).
• Third Report and Inventory of Monuments and Constructions in the County of Caithness (1911).
• Fourth Report and Inventory of Monuments and Constructions in Galloway, 1: County of Wigtown (1912).
• Fifth Report and Inventory of Monuments and Constructions in Galloway, 2: County of the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright (1914).
• Sixth Report and Inventory of Monuments and Constructions in the County of Berwick (revised issue, 1915).
• Seventh Report and Inventory of Monuments and Constructions in the County of Dumfries (1920).
• Eighth Report and Inventory of Monuments and Constructions in the County of East Lothian (1924).
• Ninth Report and Inventory of Monuments and Constructions in the Outer Hebrides, Skye and the Small Isles (1928).
• Tenth Report and Inventory of Monuments and Constructions in the Counties of Midlothian and West Lothian (1929).
• Eleventh Report and Inventory of Monuments and Constructions in the Counties of Fife, Kinross and Clackmannan (1933).
• Twelfth Report with an Inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Orkney and Shetland (1946).
  1. Report and Introduction.
  2. Orkney.
  3. Shetland.
• An Inventory of the Ancient and Historical Monuments of the City of Edinburgh (1951).
• An Inventory of the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Roxburghshire, 2 vols. (1956).
• An Inventory of the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Selkirkshire (1957).
• Stirlingshire. An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments, 2 vols. (1963).
• Peeblesshire. An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments, 2 vols. (1967).
• Argyll. An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments.
  1. Kintyre (1971).
  2. Lorn (1975).
  3. Mull, Tiree, Coll and Northern Argyll, excluding medieval and later monuments of Iona (1980).
  4. Iona (1982).
  5. Islay, Jura, Colonsay and Oronsay (1984).
  6. Mid Argyll and Cowal Prehistoric and Early Medieval Monuments (1988).
  7. Mid Argyll and Cowal Medieval and Later Monuments (1992).
• Lanarkshire. An Inventory of the Prehistoric and Roman Monuments (1978).
• Scottish Farm Buildings Survey.
  1. East central Scotland (1998).
  2. Orkney (1998).
  3. Sutherland 1999).

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales

Established in 1908 as The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments and Constructions in Wales and Monmouthshire, the RCAHMW continues its work, with the results available through the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW).

• An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire, 7 vols. (1911-25).
  1. Montgomeryshire.
  2. Flintshire.
  3. Radnorshire.
  4. Denbighshire.
  5. Carmarthenshire.
  6. Merionethshire.
  7. Pembrokeshire.
• An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Anglesey (1937).
• An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Caernarvonshire, 3 vols. (1956-64).
  1. East: The cantref of Arllechwedd and the commote of Creuddyn (1956).
  2. Central: The cantref of Arfon and the commote of Eifionydd.
  3. West: The cantref of Lleyn, together with the general survey of the county (1964).
• An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan (1976- ).
  1. Pre-Norman(1976): pt. i: The Stone and Bronze Ages, pt. ii: The Iron Age and Roman occupation, pt. iii: The early Christian period.
  2. Not published.
  3. Medieval secular monuments: pt ia: the early castles: from the Norman conquest to 1217 (1991); part ib: the later castles from 1217 to the present (2000); pt. iii: Non-defensive (1983).
  4. Domestic architecture from the Reformation to the industrial revolution pt. i: The greater houses (1981); pt.ii: Farmhouses and cottages (1988).
• An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Brecknock (Brycheiniog): the prehistoric and Roman monuments: pt.i: Later prehistoric monuments and unenclosed settlements to 1000 AD (1997); pt. ii: hill-forts and Roman remains (1986).